2010 Top Advisor Rankings: Alabama

Ranked #1: 1 Robert ♦ Robert Runkle, Merrill Lynch. When Robert Runkle was 16, he and his best friend pooled $200 and, with the help of his friend's dad, bought 10 shares of Pepsi stock. In six months, their stake had increased 25%, and Runkle was hooked. "I was intrigued by the fact that if you really did your research you could find that stock that would outperform," he remembers. The friend's father congratulated them, but explained that investing isn't just about making a quick buck; it's about making a commitment for the long term. Runkle, 54, still takes that advice to heart as he advises his clients at Merrill Lynch's Montgomery office, where he's worked for 27 years. Not that Runkle doesn't alter course from time to time. After increasing clients' weighting in bonds last year, he now favors stocks, including international shares, and is increasing clients' weighting in equities to as much as 70%. He also has a soft spot for the real-estate sector. "It's been massacred; it's where stocks were last year." - MICHELLE ANDREWS